Portable supply bin



June 5, 1951 v K. A. GRAHN PORTABLE SUPPLY BIN Filed July 24, 1946 .2 Sheets-Sheet l N A m 5 w m M L F M (Q m 8 F 2 m H June 5, 1951 K. A. GRAHN PORTABLE SUPPLY BIN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Filed July 24, 1946 FlG.4

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KA PL ALBERT GRAHN Patented June 5, 1951 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 3'70 G. 757) 6 Claims.

This invention relates to supply bins and more particularly to improved portable supply bins which may be of unitary construction, a plurality of which may be combined to provide a satisfactory supply depot. Heretofore it has been common practice for storage, spare equipment, tools, and the like, to be shipped in containers to the place of use and there stored or stacked in a more or less inactive capacity until required. Or if removed from the original shipping container the equipment may be transferred to large racks or bins of more or less permanent construction and which may not be formed so as to properly enclose and house the supplies.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable supply bin which may, if desired, be used as a shipping container and which upon receipt may be opened to make instantly available the contents and which containers of this invention are so constructed that a plurality of containers may be stacked together with inter1ocking portions whereby a storage supply bin is provided.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a supply bin which maybe varied in size to accommodate the number of supplies on hand and which is of unitary construction, the units of which are interfitting to be retained together until used.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a supply bin unit wherein the unitary compartmentation may be modified as required and which includes a number of labor-saving and trouble-free advantages.

Further objects of the present invention will be apparent from an examination of the specification, claims and drawings, wherein,

Fig. 1 is a general perspective View of a unit constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through an embodiment, illustrated in Fig. 1, showing the manner in which it is stacked in place. The removable door is not shown in this view.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a handle nesting feature taken along a line substantially corresponding to line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the door receiving groove forming a part of the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail side elevation, partially in section, of the lower portion of a door securing catch located in the lower part of a door constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation showing in dotted line, the constructional details of a door catch constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a compartmentation guide insert employed in the present invention; and

Fig. 8 is an end elevation of the compartmentation guide insert illustrated in Fig. '7.

Referring to the drawings in detail, as shown, the unit it may be of a generally oblong shape illustrated and may include a top wall II, a bottom wall 12, opposed end walls I3 and I4, and a rear wall 9 completing the enclosure. Within the unit It may be located a plurality of shelves such as the transversely divided shelves l5, l6 and I1, which shelves are supported by suitable risers 20 at each end so that they may slide in and out of the unit to provide access to the contents of the shelves. As shown the front of these shelves is preferably notched or cut away along the major portion of its length to permit the shelf con tainers to be observed and to provide access without sliding the shelf if desired.

In order to support the shelves for sliding movement there may be provided within the unit and at each end a compartmentation guide insert in the form of a plate I8 (Figs. '7 and 8) whose marginal edges it are folded over to provide a smooth-rounded periphery and this insert has the inwardly extending ledges or risers 20 in sufiicient number as required to provide shelf supporting guide rails for the shelves [5, l6 and H.

A suitable finger hole 2i may be provided in this insert it to permit its ready removal for use without the insert plate or for the substitution of an insert having different spacing and arrangement.

In order to permit the unit iii to-be readily carried from place to place a disappearing type handle 22 maybe provided in the form of an inverted U-shaped wire member 22 which may be provided with four bends as illustrated and is inserted through suitable openings adjacent the ends of the top panel ll of the unit ll! so that the oppositely directed terminal ends thereof lie along the undersurface of the panel H to permit lifting action thereon.

The handle 22 serves a dual function in the present embodiment inasmuch as the handle when not in use drops down until only its bight or center handle portion 22a lies along the upper surface of the panel H. As illustrated in Fig.1, and for stacking purposes, this handle portion may be received within an elongated recess 23 which is-provided adjacent the ends of the bottom surface l2 of the unit. This groove 23 closely fits over the bights or medial portions 22a of the handles 22 in the manner illustrated in detail in enlarged view (Fig. 3). As shown in the lower portion of Fig. 2 this arrangement effects any position and retains an upper unit open. A similar lower unit permits the parts to be stacked as required.

It will be noted that the compartmentation guide insert shown in Figs. 7 and 8, is provided with notches 24 in its upper edge through which pass the depending portions of the handle 22. The lower edge of this member [8 has an elongated recess 25 to accommodate the raised embossment 23 which is provided in the surface I2 in order to accommodate handle portions 22a of the adjacent unit.

In order to provide a closure for the front of the unit the upper wall H, where it protrudes over the front edge, may be formed back upon itself to provide an inverted groove 26 which can receive an upturned embossment 21 comprising the upper edge of a removable door panel 28. This panel 28 is bodily insertable by installing first the door edge and then moving the lower portion into engagement with an inturned ledge 29 formed on the lower panel member I2. This ledge 29 is preferably provided with upturned flange 30 which serves as a stop to prevent the door from being pushed inwardly. The lower portion of the door may be provided with a suitable securing means such as the slidable bolt illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. This bolt may be completely housed within the door panel interior so as to not protrude therefrom, and may comprise a securing clip 3i generally formed as illustrated in Fig. 6, and having opposed securing portions 32 which may be spot welded to the inside of the door panel. A vertically movable bolt 33 is supported by this clip 3| and may protrude from the bottom portion of the door panel to engage in the bolt receiving opening of the inturned ledge 29. To operate the bolt it is provided with a transverse aperture 3% to which access may be gained through an elongated slot 35 provided in the door member. By this means a sharp tool such as the commonly accessible nail may be inserted in opening 3d and the bolt moved to locked or unlocked position. Frictional engagement may be relied upon to retain the bolt inposition or, if desired, suitable resilient means may be employed to retain the bolt in locked position.

Obviously, numerous variations in design may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the claims. I

The invention herein described and claimed may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

What is claimed is:

1. A portable supply bin comprising, in combination, a plurality of shipping containers, extendable container carrying handle means extending through the top walls of said containers adjacent the ends thereof, said handle means being partly interior of and partly exterior of the container top walls, and means forming nesting recesses in the bottom walls of said containers in alignment with and juxtaposed with the exterior portions of said handles, whereby said exterior portions of said handles fit into said recesses and serve to hold said containers in superposed stacked relation to each other.

2. A portable supply bin comprising a con- 4 tainer having one side open and adapted to receive a removable door, a pair of handles extendably secured through the top wall of said container, each said handle comprising a U-shaped member having its bight on top of the container wall, its legs extending through openings in said wall, and angular portions on the ends of legs adapted to cooperate with the inside of said wall when in extended carrying position, the bottom wall of said container being recessed in positions to snugly nest the handle bights of a similar container on which said container may be stacked.

3. A portable supply bin comprising a container having one side open and adapted to receive a removable door, a pair of handles extendably secured through the top wall of said container, each said handle comprising a U shaped member having its bight lying on top of the container Wall, its legs extending through openings in said wall, and angular portions on the ends of legs adapted to cooperate with the inside of said wall when in extended carrying position, the bottom wall of said container being recessed to nest the handle bights of a similar container on which said container may be stacked, said top wall extending slightly down said open side and folded back and providing an inverted groove, a removable door for said open side, an embossment of the top edge of said door adapted to nest in said inverted groove, and door securing means at the bottom edge of said door including a vertically movable bolt extendable through the bottom of said door, and a tool receiving aperture in said bolt.

4. A portable supply bin comprising a container having an open side; a pair of compartmentation guide inserts located adjacent opposed end walls of said container, each insert being provided with a plurality of shelf supporting risers, and having top flanges to support the insert in position; shelves supported between said inserts upon exposed pairs of said risers; a handle adjacent each of said guide inserts, each handle having a leg slidably passing through both the container top Wall and the top flange of an insert, and each handle leg having a transversely extending portion at the top and bottom ends thereof for engagement respectively with the exterior of the container top wall when the handle is in its lowermost position, or the underside of the insert top flange when the handle is in its uppermost position.

5. A portable supply bin comprising a container having an open side; a pair of compartmentation guide inserts located adjacent opposed end walls of said container, each insert being provided with a plurality of shelf supporting risers, and having top flanges to support the insert in position; shelves supported between said inserts upon opposed pairs of said risers; a handle adjacent each of said guide inserts, each handle having a leg slidably passing through both the container top wall and the top flange of an insert and each handle leg having a transversely extending portion at the top and bottom ends thereof for engagement respectively with the exterior of the container top wall when the handle is in the lowermost position, or the underside of the insert top flange when the handle is in its uppermost position; and means in the bottom Wall of the container, in vertical alignment with said handles, to receive the transversely extending portions at the tops of the handles of a similar container when disposed beneath the de 5 scribed container in juxtaposed supporting relationship therewith.

6. A portable supply bin comprising a container; a pair of compartmentation guide inserts located adjacent opposed end walls of said container, each insert being provided with a plurality of shelf supporting risers, and having top and bottom flanges to support the insert in position and in spaced relationship with respect to the said container end walls; shelves supported between said inserts upon opposed pairs of said risers; handle means adjacent each of said container end walls, each handle having at least one leg slidably passing through both the container top wall and the top flange of an insert, into the space between an end wall and an insert, and each handle means having a transversely extending portion at the top and bottom ends thereof for engagement respectively with the exterior of the container top Wall when the handle is in the lowermost position, or the underside of the insert top flange when the handle is in its uppermost position; and means in the bottom wall of 6 the container, in vertical alignment with said handles, to receive the transversely extending portions at the tops of the handles of a similar container when disposed beneath the described container in juxtaposed supporting relationship therewith.

KARL ALBERT GRAHN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

